ST. LOUIS – Wayne D. Lozier Jr., a 44-year-old bounty hunter from the New Orleans area, was found guilty on September 28 of kidnapping and conspiracy charges in the abduction of a St. Peters woman, whom he drove across state lines.
During the trial, evidence, including Lozier’s own body camera footage, showed that the victim had a warrant issued for her arrest in Louisiana. A bond service had hired Lozier and his partner, Jody L. Sullivan, to find and retrieve the victim.
On May 9, 2019, Sullivan rented an SUV, and both individuals, armed with firearms and Tasers, drove to St. Charles County. Neither of them held licenses from Missouri’s Department of Commerce and Insurance to operate as bounty hunters in the state. Without informing local law enforcement, they arrived at a St. Peter’s residence.
Lozier said that he did not require permission to enter the house and proceeded to the basement, where the Louisiana woman was living. There, they handcuffed her and took her without her consent in their SUV, heading towards Louisiana.
Their actions drew the attention of employees at a gas station in Sullivan, Missouri, where the victim asked them to call the police after discovering that Lozier and Sullivan were not law enforcement officers.
Lozier used a Taser on the victim multiple times and, along with Sullivan, forcibly removed her from the store by the chain that connected her handcuffs and leg shackles. Lozier later told local police that he was a licensed bounty hunter in the state of Louisiana.
While still in Missouri, an officer from the St. Peter’s Police Department called Lozier and told him that he was breaking the law. The officer urged Lozier to either return the victim to St. Peters or drop her off at the nearest law enforcement agency.
Lozier refused and instead, he left her at a detention facility in Mississippi before returning home, where he received $500 plus expenses. The victim remained at the detention facility for approximately a week before her release.
Sullivan, 67, from the New Orleans area, pleaded guilty on September 18, 2023, to conspiracy and kidnapping charges. He admitted to the unlawful seizure of the woman and her transportation across state lines.
Sullivan’s sentencing is scheduled for December 20, while Lozier is set to be sentenced on January 3. Both charges carry the potential for a life sentence.